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Morty should have known this would happen. His habit of stopping to look at cool stuff on adventures was about as bad as Rick's habit of simply assuming Morty was still behind him instead of checking to see if he actually was.
They were in a busy market on some new alien planet and Morty had stopped for less than five minutes to look at a shop selling crystals of all colors and sizes. When he looked up, Rick was nowhere to be seen and Morty's heart started pounding in his chest as he realized he was now lost in this crowd of aliens on an unfamiliar planet.
"Oh shit. Shit shit shit! Rick?" He frantically looked around, trying to spot the only other human among a crowd of aliens, but he was having a hard time focusing. Now that he was all alone, everything was suddenly too overwhelming for him. "Rick?!"
It was too loud and bright and it felt like the crowd was closing in around Morty. When he took a few shaky steps back, Morty bumped into someone and he gasped as they started shouting at him in an unknown alien language. He jerked away from them when they threateningly raised one of their limbs and he took off running, shoving his way through the crowd. He had no idea where he was going, he only knew he needed to find somewhere less crowded.
He finally found an empty side street to duck into and he crouched down next to the wall, trying to calm his raging anxiety. His heart was racing and his breathing was far too fast. He had no idea how he was going to find Rick and that thought only scared him more.
"Hey, Morty. Everything okay?" That was the voice of a Rick, but he knew there was no way in hell that it was his Rick. The voice was far too calm for someone whose grandson had wandered off.
Morty quickly jumped to his feet and yanked the small laser gun he had out of his back pocket. The Rick he was aiming at was wearing a light pink coat over a red sweater.
The Rick smiled at that and seemed proud that Morty was aiming a weapon at him. "You're armed. Very practical. But I'm not going to hurt you, Morty."
"What do you want?" Coming from a Rick, that statement didn't hold a lot of weight and Morty kept the gun trained on the Rick in front of him. Before he could ask any other questions, his stomach loudly rumbled and Morty scowled when the Rick chuckled.
"You hungry, kid? We can get lunch, my treat."
And that only made Morty more suspicious. He didn't want to end up owing this random Rick a favor just for a meal. "What's in it for you?"
"Nothing, but I'm hungry and it certainly sounds like you're hungry."
This strange Rick was either the nicest Rick he'd ever met or the most conniving and manipulative one. Morty still wasn't sure if he could trust him, but he was hungry. He and Rick were supposed to get lunch when they were done shopping at the market, but, of course, Morty had to go and get lost.
Morty stashed his gun away for now. Chances are his Rick was now looking for him, so Morty wasn't too worried about being abducted or harmed. He startled when the Rick suddenly moved closer, but all his grandpa's counterpart did was hold out his hand. Morty eyed it with suspicion for a moment, but he took it and couldn't help smiling a little when his hand was gently squeezed.
The Rick watched Morty out of the corner of his eye, studying him as he led the way down the crowded pathway.
Typical Morty, average size, no injuries or malnourishment, but hungry. No Rick around, so likely abandoned or lost. Wary of new Ricks, likely due to bad experience, but responds well to positive attention.
The Rick led the way to a nice little cafe in a quieter part of town. Much to the Rick's amusement, Morty scarfed down two whole sandwiches and a large glass of juice, despite claiming to be "not that hungry".
"So what Dimension are you from?"
And boy, wasn't that a loaded question. Did Morty tell him the truth or just use Rick's dimension number? Rick C-137 might not be popular among other Ricks, but Morty's original grandfather, Rick Prime, was considered Public Enemy #1 among ALL Ricks.
"Why do you want to know?" He'd start there and, depending on the answer he received, he might consider being truthful. "Who are you?"
"Maybe I should introduce myself first. I'm Rick E-28. I also go by Mama Rick, E or Eez." He unclipped a badge that was hidden under his coat and handed it to Morty to look at. "Whatever you're most comfortable with.
MPS ID Badge: Rick E-28 - Administrator & Safety Analysis Agent
"MPS? What is that, E-28?"
"It's the Morty Protective Services. I'm the founder of it. We go around and help any Mortys who have lost their Ricks, Mortys who don't have Ricks, or any Mortys that are being abused or neglected by their Ricks or families."
Morty blinked as he processed that information. He obviously knew the Citadel existed, that Mortys could be adopted from the Citadel, but he'd never even considered the idea that there could be a CPS equivalent for Mortys and the smile he flashed E-28 was genuine. "That is really fucking cool."
The Rick laughed. "I'm glad you think so. If you don't mind my asking again, may I know what dimension you are from?"
"Uhhm, I-...." Morty knew the longer he hesitated, the more suspicious this Rick would get. "Look, don't freak out, okay? My Rick is C-137, but I am from the Prime Dimension."
E-28 sucked in a sharp breath of air and exhaled just as forcefully. There wasn't a single Rick that hadn't met Rick Prime, including him, and he could only imagine how Ricks reacted if and when they found out Morty was his original grandson. Hopefully this Morty didn't make it a habit of announcing he was Prime's biological grandson. "Wow, Morty Prime? That.... really sucks, kid."
"That's it?! That's really your reaction?" He'd been expecting a far more explosive reaction. There'd only been two other times a Rick found out he was Morty Prime and they had both immediately tried to kill him. After that, his Rick explicitly forbid him from announcing it to anyone, that as far as other Ricks were concerned he was Morty C-137.
"It's not like you asked to be Morty Prime. But while we're on the subject of dimensions, how is Rick C-137?"
Morty sensed this was more than just a casual question. It was an attempt to gauge how Morty felt about his Rick, how Rick treated him. "He's an asshole sometimes, but he really does care and he's gotten a little better with showing that. You know he actually goes to therapy?"
"About damn time a Rick went to therapy. If only they all did." E-28's grin faded a little as the conversation became serious again. "He does treat you well though?"
"We argue sometimes, but yeah, he treats me pretty well."
E-28 reached into his pocket and pulled out a black card, handing it over to Morty. It was the size of a business card and had most letters and every number on it. "That's good to know, but if you ever need to get away from your Rick or your family, no matter the reason, just type in your dimension number and I'll be there."
Morty studied the card before squinting up at E-28. This was by far the nicest Rick he'd ever met, with the exception of J19ζ7, and it was hard to believe Ricks like this actually existed. "Are you sure you're really a Rick?"
That got another laugh from him and the sound brought a small smile to Morty's face.
"I'm definitely a Rick. But that brings up another question. Where is your Rick?"
Morty's face flushed and he looked away in embarrassment. "I... I don't know. He didn't abandon me or anything. I just got a little lost."
That meant it would only be a matter of time until C-137 realized his Morty was missing and it was highly likely he'd already begun searching for him. "Well, let's head out and we'll see if we can find him."
Morty followed E-28 out of the cafe and down one of the busy streets. He stuck close to the Rick, not wanting to get lost twice in one day. But before they could get very far, two arms wrapped around Morty's waist and he let out a cry as he was lifted off his feet, the wind rushing past his face as he was pulled backwards by extended cybernetic arms. The breath was knocked out of him as he collided with something and he looked up to find Rick staring down at him, his eyes wide with panic.
"MORTY! Where the fuck have you been? I've been looking for you for fucking hours!" Rick was so busy examining Morty for injuries that another couple of seconds passed before he realized someone was standing in front of them and, the second he realized it was a Rick standing in front of him, he yanked Morty behind him. He whipped a laser gun out of his lab coat and two turrets emerged from spaces on his shoulders. "I think you've got the wrong Morty, broh."
"Take it easy, C-137. I'm not looking for a fight."
Rick bristled at the mention of his dimension name and he took a step back, pushing Morty with him. "How the fuck do you know who I am? Who are you?"
"I'm Rick E-28, founder of the MPS." He pulled his jacket open enough to flash his badge and he didn't miss the way C-137's eyes grew wide at the acronym.
The Morty Protective Services.
Rick had heard plenty of stories from other Ricks about this organization taking their Mortys without any warning and Rick was not going to let that happen to his little Junebug. He cocked his weapon and stepped forward, keeping the gun level with the other Rick's chest. "I'll kill you before I let you take him."
"No, Rick. Don't-" Morty stepped forward and grabbed Rick's arm, but he was shoved back.
"Stay behind me, Morty."
E-28 didn't seem alarmed, despite the gun pointed at him, and he casually slipped his hands into his pockets. "Relax, C-137. I'm not here to take your Morty. But he knows how to contact me if he ever needs me, right Morty?"
Both Ricks looked down at him, one calm and the other panicked, and Morty gave E-28 a small nod. "Right."
"He's a happy and healthy Morty, which is great to see. As far as I'm concerned, you are doing a fine job." When Rick finally put away his guns, E-28 pulled out his portal gun and shot a familiar green portal on the ground in front of him, but he stopped when Morty called out to him.
"Hey! Thanks, E-28."
"Of course, Morty."
Rick didn't relax, even after E-28 disappeared through the portal and he immediately started looking Morty over once more. "Are you sure you're okay, Morty?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Uhhh, Rick?" Morty blinked in surprise as he was pulled into another hug and gasped as he was suddenly lifted off his feet. "Are you okay?"
"No, I am not okay. That was the fucking MPS, Morty! They are basically CPS. What if I hadn't been able to find you?! They could have taken you from me!"
Morty had never heard Rick sound so panicked before and, as terrible as it probably sounded, Morty was relieved to hear his grandpa sound so scared. It was a sign he really did care. He waited for Rick to put him down, but when he didn't, Morty wrapped his arms around Rick's shoulders. "I wouldn't have let them take me. I have that choice, you know."
It was comforting to know his grandson would have fought just as hard as Rick would have to keep them from being separated and Rick held him a little closer. "I'm glad to hear that. Seriously though, stay away from those weirdos."
Morty let out a soft giggle that turned into a full out laugh when Rick glared at him. "You're such a softie, Rick."
"Shut up, Morty." His grandson wasn't wrong though.